5 Mealtime Questions That Teach Kids to Explore Food (Beyond “Do You Like It?”)

As a dietitian and a mom, one of my biggest wishes is for all of the families I work with to experience joyful mealtimes. While Itotally get that not every meal is going to be sunshine and rainbows, I hope that most of them are. Think less stress and power struggles, more connection and fun because how we eat can be just as important as what we eat. 

If this all sounds like a dream to you, I encourage you to try embracing parent and child mealtime roles (also calledDivision of Responsibility). At its core, mealtime roles break down to this: parents choose when mealtime is, what is served, and where it is served. Kiddos decide what they will eat from what is served and how much. Research shows a positive association between families who follow this model with better health outcomes and a more positive relationship with food. 

Most importantly, following the division of responsibility helps to lower mealtime stressand pressure for both kiddos and parents. And when that happens, it opens up more time for enjoyment, connection and fostering a positive relationship with food. What’s not to love?

It’s important to remember little ones are still learning about food, and it’s common for it to take many (many!) exposures to a food before they accept it. So keep things light and fun when introducing foods, whether it’s for the first time or the fifteenth time. 

One way to do this is to ask questions at mealtime that help kids think about food, in a low-pressure way, even if they aren’t quite ready to take a bite yet. Use the five senses -- sight, sound, feel, taste and small -- to guide your questions and get kiddos to explore the food in front of them.

Five questions you could try at your next meal:

What color is broccoli? (See)

Can you make a loud crunch noise by biting this carrot? (Hear)

Is this cracker hard or soft? (Feel)

Do you think this strawberry will be sweet or sour? (Taste)

What spices can you smell in this soup? (Smell)

Summary

Reduce mealtime pressure and stress by sticking to mealtime roles for kids and parents. In order to spark curiosity about food, use the five senses to ask questions and guide your little one to explore food, especially ones that are new to them.